(12444) Prothoon Jupiter Trojan
Discovered on 15 April 1996 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Prothoon was a Trojan warrior who was killed by Teucer.Naming citation (20030106/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Prothoon is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Prothoon is 5.51 au from the Sun and 4.78 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12444 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 GE19 |
| Orbit class | Jupiter Trojan |
| Diameter | 63.8 km (#541 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0520 |
| Rotation period | 15.6 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 9.93 |
| Orbital period | 12.0 years |
| Semi-major axis | 5.23 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 4.86 – 5.60 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0709 |
| Inclination | 30.9° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 3.95 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 15 April 1996
- (9663) Zwin
- (9795) Deprez
- (10183) Ampere
- (10374) Etampes
- (11332) Jameswatt
- (13641) de Lesseps
- (14513) Alicelindner